Seoul Convention Bureau: MICE Will Stand for “Meet Innovatively With Cooperative Energy”

The primary role of the Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB) is to promote Seoul, an attractive MICE destination full of natural ‘Bleisure’ charms. The Plus Seoul support programme was revamped once again by lowering requirements and enriching the customisation added in preparing for another successful year. With the pandemic gluing people on the ground in front of computer screens, SCB faced its most challenging time and decided to bring the destination to the people instead.

The Virtual Seoul platform was created as an innovative destination marketing tool closely reflecting the city in its look and functions. It broadens the definition of a virtual meeting, as e-conferences, virtual tours, live discussions, gamification, cultural activities, and promotional booths are all available. The success of the very first virtual round table of the UIA Association continued to other local and international MICE events, as well as the virtual fam tour inviting major MICE media.

“Seoul Convention Bureau’s keyword for the year 2020 was collaboration. The focus was to build stronger connections with the key players of the industry as well as the outside. As we all know, the year 2020 has been a special one that brought consistent challenges and changes to the MICE industry. Out of all, the biggest influence from the Covid-19 pandemic was the implementation and advancement of meeting technology with no doubt,” said the Executive Director of SCB, Don Byun.

Vitalising the ecosystem of the local MICE industry by maintaining a close partnership is just as important as being a destination marketing body for the region. SCB took the leading role in response to the pandemic and provided consultations on various situations to Seoul MICE Alliance (SMA) members and the rest of the local private sector, distributed PPE materials, such as facial masks and hand sanitisers, and managed digital marketing activities for the industry.

These collaborative actions with the local MICE sector persisted with advertising venues and services on SCB’s social media channels, producing VR videos of venues and services, opening discussions on current and prospective situations, as well as participating in joint campaigns. The SCB’s leadership in creating sustainable energy with private sectors in a crisis was recognised by the International Convention and Conference Association (ICCA) and rewarded with a special edition of the ICCA Best Marketing Award 2020.

Seoul Convention Bureau also welcomed an opportunity to strengthen bonds with global MICE society when it joined the ICCA Congress 2020 as one of six Hub Cities. Though meeting face-to-face is restricted, MICE events bring innovative solutions to create synergy, sustain partnerships, and navigate the crisis with cooperative energy. It is in fact the embedded value that the bureau aims to spread with the support programme Plus Seoul – “Boost your business event experience with lasting stories and bonds.” The Seoul Convention Bureau is moving slowly but steadily forward, both online and on-site, together.